“My head was pinned against my right shoulder, and my chin was jammed into my chest, and that’s when, you know, I got the numbness sensation that started in my feet,” he said.

Franco suffered a broken neck and could barely breathe. A hair over, and he would be dead.

Fellow police officers and firefighters risked downed wires to cut him free. Grateful for all the support, the 15-year veteran was taking his first steps toward recovery Tuesday at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange.

“I’m going to do it. I’ve got a wife and three kids to take care of and a career to finish,” Franco said.